In 2009 the U.S. Departments of Justice and Agriculture announced a renewed interest in the issue of competition in agricultural and food markets, with particular focus on competition in livestock, dairy, seeds, and grocery retailing. The articles in this Choices theme outline the relevant economic issues, review key findings from the literature, and highlight new analysis on the state of competition in these markets.

Much attention has focused on major structural adjustments and pricing strategies in the agricultural biotechnology seed markets. In this paper, we present empirical findings from six recently completed studies that document the impacts of newly patented seed traits on the pricing of corn, cotton, and soybean seeds.

Research and development (R&D), and innovation, are crucial features of the seed industry. To support large R&D investments by the private sector, strong intellectual property rights, such as patents, are necessary. The exclusivity granted by patents naturally creates market power positions and raises difficult and unresolved competition issues in an antitrust context.

Market structure changes in the beef packing industry have raised many competition concerns. Increased concentration from internal growth and consolidation is clear. A key question is what should or could be done to halt the trend. Considerable research has focused on several related questions, oftentimes with mixed results.

The share of hogs sold on the spot market has fallen to near 5% and nearly 70% of hogs are procured through marketing contracts. The trends, motivations and concerns in hog marketing practices are explored and unresolved issues are identified to inform the debate about competition issues.

Consolidation of the U.S. dairy industry has occurred at every step in which raw farm milk is transformed into finished dairy products and made available to the final consumer. This article provides an overview of U.S. dairy industry consolidation and highlights industry characteristics that differentiates dairy from other agricultural sub-sectors.

The federal milk marketing order system affects various demographic groups differently. It harms families with young children, but benefits wealthier, childless couples. The cost of the marketing orders as a percentage of a household’s income falls as income increases.

Key developments in the structure of food markets worldwide include rising consolidation and concentration, increased vertical coordination and control, and emphasis on multifaceted dimensions of quality. Dominant grocery retailers are key players in this process. Retailers’ pricing and marketing practices are inconsistent with the tenets of the perfect competition market model and in general detrimental to farmer welfare.

When retail food prices rise, retailers often face the blame. Is this blame mis-founded? In this article, we review the existing evidence and provide some new insights using a novel data set on store-level supermarket pricing.